Joining the dots

After further mentoring from Claire when she shared an epiphany she had with me I can see more clearly what I need to do to support the team on the journey we need to go on together.

• The team need to link the ideas about the practise of Learning Through Play to what they know.
• This discussion led me to create the BPP below as one of the reasons I value LTP so much is that it gives choice. 
• This led me back to the beliefs the II team developed last year - in particular the Interest and Motivation one.
• I need to go back to where they are so we can travel together on this journey - rather than trying to pull them along
• This might mean going back along the same path we took in Kimi Akau with learning stations, rotations, structured groups, use of lanyards

• The team need to be more involved, whilst I can do lots of the thinking I shouldn't be doing all the doing!
• This will also be great for me to develop more leadership skills as to get buy in from everyone I need to have a clear vision (which leads nicely into another blog post on Kaizen 2017!)
• To have a clear vision I am going to have to "Do my own thinking" - a phrase from last years thoughts from Ben (that is on our t-shirts from Christmas!)
• Part of this thinking is going to be around the how of LTP and linking really explicitly to the NZC - levels 1 and 2. This should also give real clarity and purpose which is important for the team.

A note to self - I had these thoughts whilst riding part of the rail trail over the weekend. I had time to think through my ideas and synthesise what it means and the actions I need to take. Need to do more of this!! 

Teaming and Learning Through Play

Claire came to a team meeting when we were discussing LTP and heard the conflict in the team about the traditional curriculum and practices versus LTP which I believe helps develop the whole child.

The meeting was a positive one in that we are all transparent about our views and I am proud of myself for speaking up about a teaching and learning practice that I am beginning to value more and more.

Part of the frustration is about the perception of “Play” - that it is a free for all with no planning or structure. At the moment I’m still unclear on the “best practice” (if there is one!) on the how of LTP but I know the thinking that goes on behind my Tinkering Time plan and I’m trying to make it clear in terms of Why, How and What for each learning area / station.

So what? What can I do?

Slow down for a start, I have to remember that the team have not been on the same journey as I have and that this is an ideal time for me to practise my 3Ps and lead.

Communicate the thinking and planning behind Tinkering Time, to get buy in and understanding from the team, and just as importantly, their ideas.

Do the thinking, then collectively put the plan into action

Have been thinking about other names and one thought I had was to start calling it “Developmentally Appropriate Learning” but then it occurred to me that all learning should be developmentally appropriate!! Back to the drawing board.

Mentoring with Claire

Claire and I discussed what i’ve been focusing on so far this term. There have been 3 key things that we’ve been working on as a team and, in a slightly different way, me as an individual. They are; relationships, routines, expectations.

Relationships

• I’m very lucky this year that I have a learning relationship with almost all the children - from either last year in Pounamu or the year before in Kimi Ākau, and in my mentor group I have 19 of my 27 from last year. 

• Although this does come with it’s own challenges - letting go of what you know to give a fresh start, plus not falling back into the behavioural habits of previous years. 

• Also, finding the energy to do this with a certain child who I will have been with for 10 terms come the end of the year!

• My relationship with the team is what I have to work on and I know I need to slow down in terms of what I want to achieve and make sure that my vision aligns with that of the team. 

• I found that last year I had a really clear role in the team (that of chief sheet maker! and data queen) but this year I haven’t found my feet yet. 

• What I have to keep reminding myself (and reading my old blog posts is good for this) is that my first 2 terms in Kimi Ākau I was like this too. It was only after the team had been together for a while that I found the courage to speak up, do things and find my niche. Perhaps I just need to SLOW DOWN!!

Routines

• We are setting up clear routines for the children and are scaffolding them where they need more support - like Buddy reading.
• As a team I have discovered some of the routines that come from last year, that aren’t really formal, but are kind of expected! 
• At the end of each day we seem to have a debrief about the day - the why behind this (I think) is to talk about any happenings that we all need to know about, and to make sure the next day is sorted. 
• Although this communication doesn’t always happen as i’ve talked to a parent without knowing the full story. Perhaps we need to be clear on the purpose of this debrief so each team member has a clear picture of what is happening with children in their mentor group.

Expectations

• We have clear expectations for the children and we all seem to be on the same page. This is essential in the teaming environment so the children don’t play one off against another - each child basically has 4 extra parents (loco parentis!).
• We put together our teaming BPP at the beginning of term and so it is probably about time we re-visit it to make sure we are all fulfilling the agreement.

Here is the BPP

First few weeks in Pounamu

What an amazing few weeks.

I feel truely privileged to be learning with many of the same children as last year and to be learning from new mentors.

It was daunting at first - being the addition to an already established team, but they have been very welcoming and supportive.

At the end of last year, these were some of my concerns;

• The other team members are an established team so worried I won’t fit in
• May view me as just “blue”
• May view me as having little to offer as still a BT
• Not sure the team will value my input as much as current team
• Pushing me completely out of my comfort zone with new team and new level of children
• Lack of knowledge of this curriculum level
• Lots of relationships to build - something I find hard

and here are the positive thoughts I had about my concerns;

• Should look at this as a challenge
• Bring lots of experience @ playbased learning
• Can introduce how we have used pebbles in RWM
• Can introduce and use more SOLO
• Data collection and analysis
• They will value my strengths
• Already worked with Rachel with II team, she knows me
• Good practice for my red side
• Great to learn from new people

Happy to say that my concerns haven't materialised. I still have lots of work to do and my mantra is still SLOW DOWN!

Kaizen, change for the better

What a powerful way to review the year. I felt good going into it and great coming out!

We had a big conversation about my Red side (or absence of it) and Muireann rightly pointed out that the HBDI isn’t a deficit model and shouldn’t be used like it is - Red is simply not a preference for me however I do have some strong Red elements;

Relationships - with the community, students, parents, mentors

Knowing Self - i’m very reflective and acutely aware of my strengths and preferences and my weaknesses and I do strive to overcome them.

Links and connections - I am comfortable in this situation because I have already formed links and connections and don’t need to manufacture them! I am quite an ambivert - an introvert in that meeting new people where I have no connections isn’t something I enjoy, and an extrovert when I am comfortable with people I know. I still revert to being an introvert as I need my time and space to recharge.

Growing the People side of my 3Ps there are several things I will aim to do next year;

Ask more questions,

Listen to understand,

Ask for coaching in terms of questions to ask,

Slow down!

Another of my goals is around asking for help. I need to start realising when I need help (not sure how to do this yet!) and then asking for help before I hit the ice-berg, rather than waiting until i’m sinking! One reason that came out of the discussion about this is my desire to have control and ownership.

Using creating Maths resources as an example, I felt that if I created them then I would know what there was and how to use them and it that it was just as fast for me to do this rather than explain what I was trying to do and then figure out what someone else had done. What I need to do is have the courage to let it go, let go of the control because others ideas and input are of equal (and sometimes greater) value to what i’m aiming for. Perhaps this will be my goal next year.

At the end of the meeting it was lovely to get feedback from Muireann;

• I have continually grown throughout the year, learning myself and becoming more comfortable with the how of teaching.
• Muireann appreciated my professionalism and my enthusiasm - going beyond what was necessary.
•  In the case of play based learning really supporting the vision we have with “proof”  and detailed “why” which I have gained from extra reading.

Quite sad at the end of the meeting as it has been indicated that I won’t be in the same team next year, although as I’m writing this...who knows!

HBDI App

Wow, this has changed the way I see myself (well, a little bit anyway!!) As Muireann was saying about it not being a deficit model the app gives you the details of what your preferences are, even in the quadrants that aren’t a preference!! I was so inspired by this that I chose it as my Smackdown item for the PD session in week 7.

The app tells you your characteristics in each 4 quadrant and also how you communicate, solve problems and make decisions. The great “So What?” part of this app is it tells you what you overlook and as I agree with most, I know what to work on!

The writing in bold are my selected characteristics, Italics are maybes and the others weren't selected. Looking at this, "Musical" isn't selected at all and yet I love music and play (or use to play!) the Piano, Flute, Recorder and Ukulele. Perhaps it indicates that I don't value that part of me as much as something else, or perhaps because it's not something I do everyday or think about all the time I don't value Music as much as I think I do...hmm, time to start my personal goal of re-learning the Piano!

This sums me up nicely! I know I tend to get to the point and miss the "personal touch" so it has highlighted something for me to work on!

Definitely me! Analysing the problem, looking at the facts, organising and missing feelings. However, I do value team processes and new ideas I just might not be the initiator.

I do forget to look at the overall picture and think that this is one area I will improve in as I strive to become a leader within the school. I know I can be future focused, I just have to make sure I don't get bogged down in all the facts and details that I love so much!

A more relaxed me

Muireann commented to me today that I seem happier and more relaxed. This is great news! I am definitely feeling positive about this term and my current mantra of SLOW DOWN must be working! Even though it is term 4 there is nothing that has to be accomplished by the children, so no pressure to make sure they are "at" a certain level. Any pressure to do this is coming from within so I'm letting go. There is still plenty to achieve in terms of finishing CL comments, writing general comments, meeting parents, planning for the 9-3....but I will 

Teaming

A chat with Muireann over the holidays sparked some more thought about teaming and what it means. She asked if there was anything concerning or frustrating me and there was!

During the end of last term I felt somewhat stranded by some of my team and believed that I was left to do the bulk of the planning and direct teaching for some learning areas. I do own some of the actions that led to this situation as I know I find it hard to let go, and even harder to ask for help. With hindsight I should have insisted upon planning together instead of expecting collaboration via a planning doc, and I should have spoken up. I was very much in Pipeline 1, whereas I should have stepped into Pipeline 2.

Using our teaming BPP I should have held the team members accountable for their actions.

My goal (again!) is to speak up when I'm not happy about something and to also speak up when something is going well. Pipeline 2 is not only about holding each other accountable when something is going as expected but also when the good stuff is happening. We don't praise each other enough.

This also links to other areas of PD we've talked about in the past - that of being above or below the line. I am determined to be an above-the-line, pipeline 2 (when needed) team member.

Just posted this and then watched a video Muireann recommended - about above and below the line with this graphic in it. Sums up perfectly how I felt at the end of the term (below the line) and how I'm feeling now (above the line)!

from www.concious.is

SOLO, Pebbles and Clarity in the Classroom

I think this is going to be a post I keep coming back to as it feels like the cloud is lifting - all be it slowly, and that my thoughts are becoming clearer.

A few different streams of thought and PD are slowly coming together - Clarity in the Classroom, Pebbles and SOLO.

My takeouts from the Clarity in the Classroom readings so far, are around making it clear what a child is suppose to be learning, and the benefits this will have in building a learning focused relationship. This links to our pebbles (especially in maths) as the children know which pebbles they have and so know their next steps and so what they are learning - although we need to be more explicit with this. On another level we could start to link in SOLO which is all about making the learning intentions clear for all and the progress - how to get deeper learning by building on existing learning.

One element that is not always clear in all my lessons are my expectation of what they will learn, so if I don’t know this (or it’s not clear) then how are they suppose to know what they are learning? This might also explain why some children don’t push themselves - while they know their next steps there is no expectation that they will be working on them.

Lots of work to do here and I've made a start;

Pipeline Leadership

Ben talked to us this week about Pipeline leadership which I found fascinating. Ben quoted someone as saying “if an organisation is well led, it will be effective”. We are a very well led team (just like the ABs) and so our school should be a highly effective one.

Traditionally teachers are in Pipeline 1 – they just have to be concerned about themselves and their role.

Traditionally team leaders are in Pipeline 1 and 2 – where pipeline 2 is all about the team and growing others with a bigger picture lense.

Pipeline 3 is where the APs sit and they are focused on building capacity with the team of adults and Pipeline 4 is the Principal who has to be thinking and planning strategically.

In our environment Pipeline 1 and 2 overlap. As a team member I have to be in Pipeline 2 sometimes, as we all have to hold each other accountable for our actions, we have to grow each other, we work collaboratively so have to have an eye on the bigger picture, and we have to ensure that our teaming BPP is being valued. This isn’t just Muireann’s job, we all need to step up and do this.

I have to say that this is one of the reasons SPS is such a great place to work – the expectations are high and so when we meet those expectations, so is our performance.

Ben also introduced 2 new terms - FAE (Fundamental Attribution Error) and  Naive Realism.

FAE is something that everyone does - we attribute a consequence of an action to that person's personality - we blame them, rather than look at the context of the error and find out why. We need to do more questioning and less "jumping the gun".

Naive Realism is the belief that your view is right and that if only everyone else was as rational as you are then they would understand it too. This struck a chord for me! Thinking about the Herrmann HBDI model where I am predominately blue, this logical and analytical side of me can cloud my judgement when I reach conclusions faster than others or my logic leads me down a path where no-one else is willing to follow.
The great thing about this is that I am aware of this side of me and one goal I have is to slow down . If i'm trying to convince someone of something the burden is on me to explain it better rather than them to "get it".
Naive Realism will stop teams growing, so it is essential that I keep this awareness and question the why.

Linking with the "Slow down" theme here are some quotes Muireann found;

The Environment

As part of the II team’s work we had to read about the environment and the part it plays in learning. This was to help build our belief statement.

One thing that struck me is just how lucky we are at Shotover; we don’t have to be concerned about acoustics, peeling old paint, or any of the dilemmas facing schools who are moving towards teaching an learning in an Innovative Learning Environment without the physical structure to support them. One discussion we had was that the actual building is the “hard” stuff and what goes on inside is the “soft” stuff.

Most of what I took out of the readings is to do with the soft stuff – the environment is far more about people than it is about structure (especially when learning is occurring in buildings like ours).

Core Education White Paper (2016) states that;

So when we think about our space we need to ensure that we consider the social context and the pedagogical one – we need to look closely at our practise and think about the how and where learning occurs – “soft” stuff.

What the paper made me think most about is how we use our spaces, why we do it this way and what can we change to improve our practise and therefore outcomes for our learners. We started the year defining spaces in terms of the kinds of learning that could occur based on noise level – a noisy space we could block off, a creating space that is actually very close to our quiet space (the gallery). The quiet space where direct acts of teaching could occur, a meeting space for the whole habitat, a space for collaboration and another space for quiet reading (or reflection).

The white paper talks about 3 essential zones; reflective/creative, creative/interactive and interactive and I think this could be a good place for us to start looking at our environment and how we can better use the space we have.  However, I do believe that we adapt to needs and are flexible and willing to try using spaces in different ways, so re-thinking this as a team might bring about some great changes that our learners will love.

Whilst the “soft” stuff is paramount I think that elements of our “hard” stuff could be improved with the number one thing being shelving – in order to increase out student’s agency and help their learning, an easily accessible way for them to access the resources they need would be advantageous, and as Ben says “from structure comes freedom” (Ben Witherford 2015).

In another paper by the OECD motivation and the part that the environment plays was highlighted;

• again, giving students agency,
• creating a space that is emotionally positive,
• having space to allow for learning through exploration,
• having learning occur in a social context,
• connecting “formal” learning with learning happening elsewhere
• knowing the why of the learning in the space
• enabling learners to become self-directed

As is mentioned in the media, as we try and re-define education we need to make sure that the learning experiences and the environment in which they occur support the development of the life-long, soft skills that our learners will need.

Timetable Re-jig

Having tried our timetable for 5 weeks we decided there were certain tweaks we wanted to make. We all  had to think about what was not happening for us and this discussion led to a new plan for reading.

We now have 2 owls and 2 eagles at reading time. This means that the 2 eagles plan town time and only have to think about that whilst the owls just need to plan (and stock) for reading. After day 2 this seems to work well. The children love town time and a lot of learning happens in this social, exploration time. Eventually the eagles will be able to make this focused on specific things and guide the learning. 

Meanwhile the owls are just heads down, teaching guided reading. This will hopefully mean for me that I develop more instinctual actions which will develop my readers.

After 2 weeks in each role, we then swap! Eve and I have also thought that if you are the owl for reading, you are the eagle for maths and vice-versa, so hopefully reducing the cognitive load, which means you’ll do what you need to better!

Term 2, Design for Learning

Helping to design the learning for next term for Pounamu in terms of the technical, logistical side of things has been great - especially working with Muireann as she has great ideas, which I can then help make happen.

We’ve tried to give our overall weekly timetable enough structure so that within the structure we can have some freedom (“from structure comes freedom” Ben Witherford, 2015). We also have a focus on team teaching in lots of areas, although in others it will be possible to slip back in to “single cell” mentality. I believe we won’t, as we know we are all responsible for every child and are happy sharing resources and ideas. We also have the flexibility and adaptability to change what’s happening if the new, grand plan doesn’t work! Remembering that to be in a truly collaborative relationship we need to be dependent on each other to make our learning time work.

Having done this overall “schedule” when I started to pull apart what I needed to plan and prepare I then had quite a shock, and started to wonder about the sanity of our grand design!

• 4 reading groups x 4 times a week
• 3 reading rotations x 4 times a week
• 1 hour long concept
• 3, 15 minute concept “recaps”
• 5 writing lessons (structured, formal)
• 4 x maths stations
• 5 x phonics sessions
• 1 x formal PE

This to me looked like a lot of work! When raised with the team, the partnerships and team teaching came into play. Sharing resources and ideas with Muireann as we have one set of readers, the 4 of us planning concept with Emma (DATS) helping, team teaching writing with Muireann, being in a partnership with Eve for Maths, hopefully having a more formal approach to Phonics coming from PD in the school holidays, which leaves a formal PE session in which we are doing ball skills which we started last year.

It is still a lot of planning to do but at least we are doing it together!